The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-07-28
aRTaRrrNa annRN },

newspaper IN which It was published. L
Blinded by prejudice, selfish interests
and a lack of the knowledge of the
reasonable requirements of common
decency, the editor seems to lose sight /
of the rights and privileges of the pub
lie in his attempts to defend his mas
ter, and the touching naivete with
which he tries to praise Mr.. Soden,
and at the same time hold him up as
fighter, is little unique in
its way. That Mr.. Soden is a /
useful citizen, and that ''his mill /
has been the salvation of /
the town" we don't propose to discuss. |
The citizens of Emporia are no doubt |
willing to accord credit to Mr.. Soden |
for all the good deeds that he has done |
and for which he has received more |
than measure for measure from thecity |
of EmpOria. His energy and tact in
business, when considered in connection
with the opportunities he has had, is
quite remarkable, but he is neither
martyr, a magnanimous friend nor a |
philanthrophist. He is what might be
called close, calculating, hard-fisted
man. His better judgement is no
doubt aftimes warped by lack of that
broad experience which goes so far to-
wards forming the character of men.
The charge made in the article alluded
| to, that the present city council is fight
ing Mr.. Soden, is so ridiculously trans.
parent when viewed from an unbiased
standpoint that child would fail to be
misled by it.
Malice and mendacity are two
prominent features in the charac-
ter of some men. When Mr..
Stotler sold out his interest in
this paper and left this town with a
curse on his lips and no good words for
those who had so long contributed to
maintain his paucity, it was hoped that
the factiOnal strife which he had en-
gendered to the detriment of the bust
ness interests of this town would never
again be resurrected. But it seems
his financial misfortunes at Yelling
ton have in reality become the misfor-.
tunes of the people Of Emporia, and we
are again to become the theatre of
war of factional interests unless the
party sought to be embroiled shall re-
fuse to give heed to the idle twaddle of
an unworthy demagogue.
Fighting Soden, as the so-caIled ed
itor sees fit to designate Mr.. Soden, is
hardly fair appellation, for this
gentleman has gained no notoriety as
! a fighting man, and no one will be in
Inundated by the ambiguous title. Nor
does it follow that because large ma
jority of the citizens of Emporia voted
! to build a new court house removed
! from the railroad, or to take the water
works away from MIR. Soden's mill
! pond and place it upon the Neosho
river, that they intended to spend the
considerable sum of money required
i for the purpose of spiting Mr.. SodeD.
\ And no man possessed of ordinary good
Q sense would think so, much less pub
Q lish such statement. Certainly the
people of Emporia would not commit
such foolish blunder as to tax them
selves to spite Mr.. Soden. Great
men know how to act wisely
!, under defeat, and not become
enraged against the public because
they refuse them life annuity for the
q use of the Cottonwood river. a great
d er part of our citizens seem to enjoy the
Q opinion that they ought not to pay a
v perpetual tribute in coin for water
franchise that ought to be made for.
ever free to the people. AT this let nc
g one be disappointed or chagrined. The
city council, acting in the dis.
charge of its duty and carry
5 ing out the will of the city, has evoked
the ire of Mr.. Soden. The head and
2 front of its offending it seems, and
a for which the uplifted finger and CORY
: locks of Fighting Soden'' is being pa.
q raded before them, may be summed uI
in few words: demonstrating the
water works according to the expressed
+ viii of the people and refusing Mr.. So
e den the privilege of storing quantities
9 of explosives in the center of a
f thickly populated portion of this city
II where it was thought it would become
i dangerous to the lives of the people liv.
g ing in the neighborhood. The city
- council, also acting in accordance with
their best judgment, refused to give
- the city printing to Mr.. Soden's OBJ
= scure plate paper. The council acted
upon business principles, and no one
. can fairly question their wisdom or in
I tegrity in the matter. They acted fol
the city as they ought to have acted fol-
themselves. To say nothing of the
difference in the circulation given to
y the public advertising, it cannot be
n fairly claimed that the public are seek
n ing to play ghoul upon private inter
: ests. Ink, paper and printers work
g is valuable and ought to be paid for at
: a fair rate, and for this purpose
Q a legal standard has been fixed, and
4 the contract ought by all odds be
: awarded to the paper with the largest
! circulation, where it can be done with
1 in the legal rates. This, in our judg-
: ment, would always give better salts
faction to the public generally. Cheap
: advertising, like decayed fruit, is not
always acceptable, even as gift.
r The allusiOn made by Mr.. Stotler to
= ''hirelings, while not complimentary,
will wound the feelings of no honest
laborer, as they all know that it is far
nobler to work for an honest dollar than
it is to contract debts which they do
not pay, and make agreements which
they openly violate. Therefore, we
will advise Mr.. Stotler not to
force himself unnecessarily before
the public, as it may become urgent
to show:that he is nobetter than hire
ling himself. And we would further
advise this gentleman to brace up, and
not go about the streets with his head
down, like demented jackass that is
looking for lost oats.
THE COUNTY AND CITY PRINT
ING.
Although possibly our readers may